CHAPTER TWELVE
Eben, Cassiel, and the King rode until the day was too dark to continue. They set up a basic camp. Cassiel created a small fire with his magic. The night grew cool; an icy wind constantly blew across the plain. King Ignis woke them before sunrise and was eager to continue.
‘We will rest when we come to my army.’
The King led them onward. They pushed their horses to their limits, galloping as much as they would allow. Later in the day they reached the end of the plain. The land gradually grew more undulating and rocky. Small birch trees were scattered about. They crossed several crystal clear streams, and by mid-afternoon they came upon a road that led north and south.
‘This is the road from the Iron Gate Pass to Orelin,’ said King Ignis. The road itself looked muddy and well-trodden with fresh wagon, horse, and boot tracks. ‘My army came by here not long ago. We must ride with haste!’ he cried. They turned their horses and galloped northward along the winding road.
The landscape around became hillier and the trees more numerous. As the evening approached they came to a rise in the road, and when they reached the top of the ridge they could see out across a large basin dotted with stone farmhouses. In the centre of the basin was a walled town. Camped on the southern side of the town, about half a mile from the wall, was the Ortarian army. Hundreds of tents dotted the fields to the south of the town, and a multitude of banners flew above the army depicting the red flag with the golden lion of Ortaria.
Orelin was a large town; the wall that surrounded the town was almost a perfect circle. Eight towers rose from the wall, set at even intervals. At no point was the wall more than a thousand yards in diameter. A large keep was situated at the centre of Orelin, and the Scaldonian flag still flew above the town. The dark blue Scaldonian flag depicted a white eagle with outstretched wings. The road they were on led to a large gate that was securely closed. Eben could see the walls were manned with many men.
‘They have not attacked the town!’ shouted King Ignis happily. He charged forward. Eben and Cassiel rode after him down the slope toward the Ortarian encampment.
As they approached the camp several armoured riders broke away and rode out to meet them. They were carrying spears and were prepared to fight. They stopped about fifty feet from them.
‘What is your business?’ shouted one of the riders.
‘Who is your commander?’ asked King Ignis.
‘What is your business?’ repeated the same rider angrily.
‘We are here to speak with your commander!’ cried King Ignis. The leading rider moved his horse forward and came closer.
‘I will spear you if you don’t tell me your real business.’
‘You would spear your own King,’ responded King Ignis, staring harshly at the rider.
‘What nonsense is this?’ asked the rider sharply.
‘Take me to your commander, now!’ commanded King Ignis.
The rider stared at King Ignis for a few moments and seemed to be considering the situation. ‘At very least I hear you are Ortarian by your accent. If you make any trouble for me you will pay with your life,’ he said, turning his horse. ‘Follow me.’
They followed the rider toward the edge of the encampment, and after the rider had spoken with several other soldiers they were asked to dismount.
‘I hear that you want to see General Hugo?’ asked another soldier, who was clearly of higher rank due to his impressive armour. He was an older and very skinny man with a long face and a receding chin, yet the fierce look in his eyes revealed he was a seasoned warrior.
‘That’s right,’ replied King Ignis.
‘I cannot permit you to see General Hugo unless the purpose of your visit is clearly stated,’ said the soldier.
‘I have a message from King Ignis,’ said King Ignis.
‘What message would that be?’ asked the soldier.
‘I will tell him myself,’ said King Ignis resolutely.
‘No you won’t,’ replied the soldier firmly, crossing his arms and standing tall.
King Ignis saw that he was clearly not going to be taken to General Hugo. He gave the situation some thought for a few moments.
‘Tell him this: the shadow will never overcome the light.’
The proud soldier looked puzzled for a moment and scratched his chin. ‘That is your only message?’
‘Yes, that is all,’ said King Ignis. ‘Tell him just what I have said.’
‘All right, but I will have you flogged if you are making a fool of me,’ said the soldier. He then turned and walked away into the encampment.
King Ignis turned to Eben with a smile. ‘I said that to Hugo just before we went into battle against Azagord’s army. He never forgot those words.’
They waited for a few minutes and nothing happened. Eben could see the army was preparing for battle, swords were being sharpened, catapults were being assembled, and armour was being prepared. The whole camp was bustling.
A few minutes later they could hear some commotion. They saw a man approaching who was adorned in fine armour and wore a long red cape. He was an older man with greying hair, a noble face with large green eyes, and a big dark moustache. He moved with determination and strength, and he stood tall with pride. General Hugo looked very noble and the picture of a warrior. He was flanked by several fully armoured knights and other guardsmen. The General approached the edge of the encampment and stared at King Ignis, greatly shocked by the sight before him.
‘What sorcery is this?’
‘No sorcery, Hugo,’ replied King Ignis.
‘I see King Ignis before me. Why are you clothed like a peasant, and why are you here in Scaldonia when I received word from you in Ancora only a day ago?’
‘Perhaps you are taking orders from the wrong man,’ said King Ignis.
‘I serve the King of Ortaria with complete loyalty; I do not question his orders,’ said General Hugo.
‘That was always one of your faults, Hugo,’ said King Ignis, shaking his head. ‘You were always a little too good at following my orders. You should remember what I said to you when I made you commander of my army.’
‘If you tell me that then I will kneel before you here and now. Only King Ignis knows what he said to me that day.’
‘I said there may come a day when I may order you to do something you thought was wrong and if that day should come you should question me.’
General Hugo stared in astonishment at King Ignis. He was speechless for several moments.
‘My King!’ he cried, and he fell upon a knee, bowing his head to the ground. All the knights and soldiers who stood around did the same. There was a sense of great shock among the men who had witnessed what had happened. Cassiel and Eben remained standing.
‘What foolishness is this; why are you invading the lands of our Scaldonian friends? Why didn’t you question this order?’
General Hugo looked up, confused by the question. ‘I did question the order,’ he said, his shock still obvious.
‘Then you should know the truth. I have been imprisoned in the Dungeons of Zyran for three years. The Zyranian Order has placed an imposter on my throne. What they did not expect was that I would escape with the help of these two friends and some others,’ he indicated to Cassiel and Eben. ‘Now the time has come to rise up against the tyranny in our land.’
General Hugo stood up. ‘There is much we need to talk about.’
**
As the day neared its end they were led through the encampment to a large command tent where a command table had been set. General Hugo sat at the table with three of his field commanders and two knights. King Ignis sat on the other side with Eben and Cassiel.
‘The Imposter’s commands were to invade Scaldonia and capture Orelin. He ordered me to kill Duke Egil and destroy any resistance,’ said Hugo with a tone of regret. King Ignis nodded soberly at hearing the news.
‘Recently I have spoken with Meara of the Irilian Order,’ said King Ignis. ‘She told me the enemy’s plan is to have us destroy each other. Tomorrow we will make peace with Duke Egil. We will see if he needs our help. I have also heard news that an army of muckrons has landed near Ancora. We must return to Ortaria and clear the evil army from our land.’
‘There are muckrons everywhere. We encountered a group of forty on the road south of here, and we saw many smaller groups near the entrance to the Iron Gate Pass. I have also heard the Scaldonians were driven south by armies of muckrons. Apparently the muckrons and Skatheans control the north of Scaldonia.’
‘Perhaps we can work with Duke Egil and clear these monsters from both our kingdoms.’
‘My King, it may prove difficult to convince Duke Egil that we are his allies. I sent him a message this morning; I have asked him to surrender and allow us to enter Orelin,’ said General Hugo, staring down at his own hands.
King Ignis cringed at hearing the words. ‘Did he send a reply?’
‘Yes, he did. He said every man and woman in Orelin would fight to the end, and he also said that we are traitors.’
King Ignis stared down at the table gravely. ‘This will be difficult for me to repair.’
‘They blame us for much of their suffering. The Imposter closed the Iron Gate Pass and stopped all trade going north and west from Ortaria. The Scaldonians relied on our exports, and they have been impoverished by the closure of the pass. They also blame us for not assisting them when they were first invaded. An army from Kaznor attacked the north of Scaldonia several months ago, and King Vidar was taken in chains back to the Dungeons of Zarkanor. Perhaps we should not attempt to reconcile. Our army could be ready to march for Ancora tomorrow morning.’
King Ignis heavily sighed as he contemplated the situation. ‘No, Hugo, I want to talk with Duke Egil. A shadow has covered both our lands. Evil is everywhere. We need our friends in these dark times. The Scaldonians are our age old allies; we must stand by them. I will talk with Duke Egil myself in the morning.’
‘We will send a messenger at first light to arrange a meeting,’ said General Hugo.
**
Eben was given new clothes and his own tent. He felt exhausted and realised that he hadn’t slept properly for many days. He went to sleep quickly and woke to the sound of the clambering encampment. He put on his new clothing and walked outside. About ten yards away he could see Cassiel sitting by a small campfire. There were hundreds of tents surrounding them. Most of the soldiers in the encampment were busy making preparations. Cassiel was talking with two soldiers who were seated across the fire. The symbol on most of their shields and banners was a golden lion set against a dark red background. Eben walked over to Cassiel and took a seat beside him.
‘These two men are called Max and Marius. They’ve been assigned to help us,’ said Cassiel as Eben sat down. They were two young men, perhaps around the age of twenty. Both were clean shaven and dressed in chainmail armour, with shoulder plates, and swords at their sides. Eben greeted the two young soldiers.
Max looked across at Eben. ‘I have been told to take you to an armourer and allow you to select some fine armour. We have also prepared breakfast for you and Cassiel.’
‘The breakfast is really very good, you should try it,’ said Cassiel.
‘Thank you,’ said Eben. Marius handed him a bowl of oats with honey.
After he had finished his oats Max led him through the camp to where a group of large wagons were situated. They approached an older man who had a thick black beard, a completely bald head, and a fierce looking face. He was busy sharpening a sword.
‘Weapons Master Rufus, this is Eben, a friend of King Ignis himself. I have been instructed to bring him to you so you could provide him with some new armour.’
The weathered and rough looking man looked up at Eben and gave a curt nod. ‘You’re young to be a friend of the King,’ said Rufus in a deep and hoarse voice. ‘How old are you?’
‘Eighteen,’ replied Eben.
‘Old enough to die in battle,’ said Rufus gruffly as he looked Eben up and down and gave a tight smile. His eyes glanced at Eben’s sword for a few moments. ‘That sword you have is interesting. Who made it?’
‘I don’t know,’ answered Eben.
‘I haven’t seen a sword like it, and I’ve seen thousands of swords,’ said Rufus as he moved toward one of the wagons. ‘So, what kind of armour do you want? If you are a swordsman you’ll probably like something light that won’t slow you down.’
Rufus opened the back of one of his wagons and inside were racks of swords, spears, shields, and suits of armour. He climbed up into the wagon and selected a chainmail shirt, a steel chest plate, and an open face helm.
He stepped back down with the armour. ‘This is what the infantry field commanders wear,’ he said, handing Eben the polished chest plate latched to a back plate. ‘Here are some schybalds, you probably call them shin plates, and here are some shoulder plates, which I call pauldrons; these latch easily to the top of your back plate. You can choose between leather or metal plated vambraces to cover your forearms. This is a very light and high quality chainmail shirt; you wear it beneath your plate armour, it stops cuts and slashes. And this is an open face helm; this one is good for swordsmen because it doesn’t block your view. The knights often wear them when they’re using their swords. Do you need any weapons?’
‘No, the armour will be enough,’ said Eben.
‘Good, it should be easy enough to put on yourself.’
‘Thank you for your help,’ said Eben.
‘I’m just following orders,’ said Rufus gruffly.
Eben returned to his tent and tried on the armour. It added a little weight, but he thought he would be able to move almost as well with the armour on. He noticed instantly that the soldiers greeted him with increased respect. Cassiel was still seated beside the fire outside his tent.
‘Well, don’t you look fine in that new armour,’ said Cassiel. ‘You look like a real soldier now.’ Eben nodded and smiled. ‘I just heard that King Ignis received word back from Duke Egil. The Duke won’t come out of Orelin to meet with him. He’ll only meet with him if King Ignis comes into the city. I don’t think it’s safe. The Scaldonians are likely to kill him once he’s inside the walls. He’s only permitted to take one soldier with him inside.’
‘Do you think he will go?’ asked Eben.
‘King Ignis is keen to reforge the alliance with the Scaldonians. I think he will go, but it’s not until noon tomorrow.’
‘Who’s going to go with him?’ asked Eben.
‘I don’t know; probably one of his knights. We’ll have to wait and see.’
**
Meara, Red, Stella, and Baftel arrived at the edge of the encampment as the sun was setting in the western sky. Eben and Cassiel greeted them and led them through the encampment toward the command tent.
Red was looking at Eben with a cheeky grin. ‘When do I get my armour?’
Eben smiled across at his friend. ‘I’m sure King Ignis can arrange that.’
King Ignis came out of the large tent and greeted them. ‘I’m glad to see you have arrived safely.’
‘We’re glad to see you weren’t too late,’ said Meara.
‘One more day and we would have been too late. My army was going to attack Orelin this morning,’ said King Ignis. ‘Please, come in out of the cold. We are discussing some serious matters.’
They entered the tent and took seats around the table. General Hugo, several field commanders, and two knights were also seated at the table. They greeted the newcomers warmly.
‘I think this plan is simply wrong,’ said Hugo.
‘It is dangerous, but it’s the right thing to do,’ said King Ignis. ‘If we don’t reforge the alliance and we allow Scaldonia to fall then we can be sure Ortaria will be next. We need to work with our friends.’
‘But Duke Egil’s request that you enter Orelin sounds like a trap,’ said Sir Victar, an older and noble knight who was seated beside General Hugo. ‘He’s only allowing you to take one soldier into Orelin. Duke Egil knows you will be vulnerable. Why wouldn’t he let you take more guards?’
‘This is about trust,’ said Meara. ‘Duke Egil wants to see if you trust him. Trust is shared in all friendships. He knows that if you trust him you will go. If you don’t trust him he knows he cannot trust you.’
‘Meara is right; this is a test of trust,’ said Baftel, his voice weak and croaky. He looked very old in the dull light. ‘There is one other thing that I can see within Orelin. They have one of the Fire Order with them.’
‘A Fire Wizard?’ asked Meara, raising her eyebrows at the revelation.
‘Yes,’ replied Baftel. ‘He resists my seer ability. He is aware of our presence, Meara.’ He paused and caught his breath. It was a struggle for Baftel to speak. ‘King Ignis, if you can only take one soldier then that soldier should be Eben.’ Everyone at the table looked across to Eben. ‘He is the greatest warrior in the encampment.’ Eben didn’t know if he believed what Baftel was saying.
‘This is true, Eben,’ said Meara. ‘I saw you fight those five Skatheans in Lantern Hill. If only one person can go you would be the best choice.’
‘Five Skatheans!’ gasped General Hugo.
‘I didn’t win,’ said Eben modestly.
‘But you’re still alive,’ said Sir Victar, amazed and awed by the revelation.
‘It’s true, Eben proved himself to be quite a warrior in Lantern Hill, but I can’t ask you to put your life at risk,’ said King Ignis.
‘I will go,’ said Eben.
‘We may be walking into a trap.’
‘We’ve escaped traps before.’ Eben smiled. King Ignis nodded with a slight smile back at Eben.
‘All right then, Eben and I will go to meet with Duke Egil tomorrow at noon.’
**
The next morning Eben awoke early. He was feeling strong after two nights of solid sleep. He put on his armour and stepped out of the tent. The sun was already fairly high in the sky; it was a couple of hours after sunrise.
Max approached. ‘I was asked to let you rest.’
‘Thanks.’
‘I have been ordered to take you to the Horse Master to find you a warhorse,’ said Max.
Eben nodded. Max led him through the large encampment to the southern side where many horses were tied to wagons and carriages. They walked over to a young man who had long hair and a very long beard.
‘Horse Master Jorg, this is Eben, a friend of King Ignis. The King has requested you give him your best available warhorse.’
‘Certainly,’ said Jorg. The young Horse Master led them along the edge of the camp to where several horses were tied to a wagon. ‘These are three of my best,’ said Jorg. There were two dark brown warhorses and a grey one. They were all obviously bred for war. ‘I recommend this one,’ he said indicating the grey horse. ‘His name is Swiftwing; he is very fast and the wisest of the three. He was given to General Hugo by a drifter who said he had ridden him all the way from the lands beyond Irvaria. The foreigner also said that Swiftwing has fought in several battles in the Western Lands.’
Eben walked up to the huge horse and touched his nose. The horse was friendly and clearly liked him.
‘Good, I’ll take Swiftwing,’ said Eben.
‘I’ll saddle him up and have him taken to you. I heard you’re going to go with the King into Orelin. Swiftwing will be a good horse for your mission. He won’t be frightened.’
They left Jorg and walked back toward his tent. An armoured soldier came running over to him.
‘Eben, look at me,’ said Red with a huge smile and a glimmer in his eyes. His new armour was shining brightly and was similar to armour Eben had been given by the Weapons Master. Red also had a new finely crafted sword latched to his side. He had his beard shaven to look neat and had tied his shaggy hair back.
‘You look great,’ said Eben.
‘Like a knight,’ cried Red heartily. ‘I can’t wait for Stella to see me like this,’ he said as he ran off to find her.